Chapter 2-Discover his secret

Inside the banquet hall, Lucille kept her eyes fixed on Gideon.

He looked flushed and in high spirits as he moved from table to table with Rayne, raising his glass and offering toasts.

"My buddy Otto is overseas right now on a confidential infrastructure project. He won't be back for a year, so I'll drink on his behalf at today's full-month party.

"And Rayne's still healing, so no ice or alcohol for her. But don't worry, I'll be taking all her rounds. Bring it on!"

…

Lucille suddenly noticed that the orange juice in her mouth tasted ice-cold and bitter. She had worked beside Gideon for years. At every business dinner, he had pushed her forward without hesitation and praised her as someone who could drink anyone under the table.

Lucille had never seen him so generous with his own glass, never seen him drink so freely for someone else. She had certainly never imagined that one day he would volunteer to shield someone else from every drink.

As she watched the color rise in his handsome face, a sharp, hollow ache spread through her, edged with something close to ridicule.

She was about to step forward when the emcee called from the stage. "Today is baby Connor's one-month celebration. As the baby's uncle, Mr. Prescott has prepared a special gift. Let's welcome him with a round of applause."

By then, Gideon and Rayne were already standing before the crowd with Connor in their arms.

In front of everyone, Gideon opened a long gift box. Inside lay a solid gold charm, gleaming under the lights and set with bright red gemstones.

The moment Lucille saw it, the blood in her veins turned cold. She strode forward in two quick steps and stared at the charm for several long seconds.

Then the anger inside her erupted.

Gideon's warm, easy voice rang out. "This charm is a family heirloom from the baby's aunt's side. It carries a wonderful meaning and is worth a great deal. Today, I'm giving it to little Connor and wishing him a long life, quick wits, and a bright future."

The instant the words left his mouth, Lucille's world dropped into darkness.

The charm belonged to her family. Her mother had brought it over when Lucille was six months pregnant, meant for the baby she carried. Afraid of losing it at home, Lucille had locked it in the safe at Gideon's company.

Now he had given it to Rayne's son without asking her. Meanwhile, his own daughter had not seen him once from pregnancy through birth, let alone received any gift.

Lucille could not hold back any longer.

"And did the baby's aunt agree to that?" she asked sharply. "You still thought you could give it away?"

Her voice cut across the room.

The entire hall fell silent as every head turned toward her.

From the stage, Gideon saw her. Alarm flickered in his eyes, then vanished beneath his usual composure.

He came down quickly. Before Lucille could react, he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her outside.

His voice dropped low, strained with impatience he could not quite hide. "Lucille. Why are you here?"

Lucille yanked off her face mask. She meant to tear into him, but when she opened her mouth, her voice came out tight with suppressed tears. "What, I shouldn't be?"

"You can make a scene later. At least pay attention to where you are." He kept his voice low, but anger edged every word. "Were you trying to humiliate me, shouting like that in front of everyone?"

Lucille jerked her arm free and stared at him in disbelief. "Gideon, that gold charm was from my mother for our daughter. What gave you the right to hand it away without even asking me?"

His expression darkened at once. "Lucille, you've always been reasonable. Did you really have to make me look bad in a place like this?"

You have always been reasonable—the phrase sent her fury surging.

She forced herself to stay steady. "You didn't even tell me before giving my family heirloom to your so-called nephew. Gideon, who exactly is making whom look bad?"

Gideon glanced around, then lowered his voice further. "It's just a gold charm. I ran out of time and couldn't have something custom-made, so I used that one. Rayne and Otto aren't strangers. Did you really need to make this into such a big deal?"

Lucille looked at him with chilling calm. "Gideon, that's not just some gold charm. It is my family's heirloom."

She pressed a hand hard against her chest. Her voice dropped to a frighteningly low. "If you don't get it back and return it to my daughter, I won't let this go."

Whenever she became too angry, her chest would seize. Now the pain tightened around her heart. Even the C-section wound across her abdomen began to throb, as if the stitches were pulling apart.

She could not stay upright. Her face drained of color, and she dropped into a crouch on instinct.

Gideon noticed something was wrong. A flicker of uncertainty crossed his face, and he stepped toward her.

A slender hand caught his arm. "Giddy, what happened? Did Lucille get upset because you gave the charm to my baby?"

Rayne turned to Lucille and covered her mouth in surprise. "Oh my God, Lucille. How did you get this haggard after having a baby? I almost didn't recognize you."

Lucille slowly raised her eyes to meet hers.

Rayne stood beside Gideon in a custom evening gown, graceful and smiling, not looking remotely like a woman who had just given birth.

Before Lucille could speak, Rayne stepped forward and grabbed her arm. "Lucille, please don't be angry at Giddy. He was going to take the charm home for your daughter, but I saw it and liked it, so he decided to give it to my son instead.

"It's only a gold charm. If you like it that much, I can buy you another one from a jewelry store later as a return gift. Would that be all right?"

Her long nails bit into Lucille's flesh. Pain shot through her arm. Lucille shoved her off hard.

She had not expected Rayne to crumple straight to the floor and let out a sharp cry.

"What are you doing? Rayne is newly postpartum!" Gideon roared.

He rushed forward without hesitation and helped Rayne up, then turned on Lucille with naked fury in his eyes.

Lucille lifted the arm Rayne had clawed, which was already bruising, and pressed a hand to her aching abdomen.

Her eyes burned red as she met his gaze. "Postpartum. What about me?"

"You're not the same as her. You're stronger." Gideon's voice was cutting.

Lucille's face went deathly white. She clenched her teeth and forced herself back to her feet.

Before Gideon could react, she raised her hand and slapped him across the face with all her strength.

Hatred burned in her eyes.

"You're not like other husbands either. You're far worse."

The strength to keep arguing drained from her all at once after five years of swallowing it down, five years of humiliation, and five years in a marriage that had worn her hollow. In that moment, she had had enough.

She turned and walked back into the hall without looking back.

She went straight to the child in the nanny's arms, the one wearing the gold charm around his neck. Her gaze was sharp, stripped of any trace of warmth.

The nanny recoiled, her voice shaking. "W-What are you doing?"

"Taking back what belongs to me." Lucille stepped forward, ripped the charm from the child's neck, and shoved it into her pocket.

Gideon followed her into the hall. He looked at her, bristling as if covered in spikes, and began to scold her. "Lucille, you—"

But Lucille turned before he could finish. Her eyes blazed with hatred as she looked straight at him.

"I’m filing for divorce. See you in court, Gideon."

Gideon froze where he stood. The anger in his eyes cracked into shock, then disbelief.